Editorial
From one summer to the next, you might not notice any vast differences. However, that might be because you aren't looking hard enough. Ibiza is in a constant state of flux. Compare the present with just five years ago, and suddenly the shifting sands come sharply into focus.
Nothing stays still here for very long. Now, the sands of time are in motion once again.
Whilst established parties, such as Marco Carola's Music On, David Guetta's F*** ME I'M FAMOUS! and elrow have been quick to nail down season-long runs, new contenders entering the field of conflict have been operating more cautiously.
It seems we are entering the age of the split residency.
Ibiza enters the age of the split residency
Pacha, by far the biggest utiliser of this format, was an early adopter. In fact, we can go back ten years, to the summer of 2016, where the split residency first reared its head.
That summer, Friday nights were divvied up between Nic Fanciulli's We Are The Night, MK's Area10, Hot Since 82's Knee Deep In Sound and Luciano's returning Vagabundos. Eight years later, Pacha would revisit the format, this time on Mondays.
Clockwise, top-left to bottom-left: Area10, Vagabundos, We Are The Night and Knee Deep In Ibiza
Diplo, HUGEL, Kungs, Lost Frequencies, Purple Disco Machine (more about him later) and even a couple of Reggaeton stars shared the spoils under what was loosely given the banner of Pacha Presents. In retrospect, to say the night lacked cohesion would be an understatement.
Ultimately, it proved little more than a stopgap on that occasion. The following summer, Pacha secured their man Sonny Fodera and Mondays had stability once more. But this time, the split residency format was going nowhere. Enter BLOND:ISH and Mau P on Wednesday nights.
Splitting the season neatly into two halves, Abracadabra took the early-season in May, June and July, before the reins were passed over to Baddest Behaviour for the late-season from August to October. Both protagonists even made appearances at each other's party.
BLOND:ISH and Mau P playing back-to-back in 2025
Whilst still under construction, the Pacha programme for 2026 is taking a similar path. BLOND:ISH and Abracadabra are confirmed for a similar run, 13 May to 29 July. From that point, Wednesdays onwards remain TBA.
Saturday nights also have dual ownership. Just like last year, Robin Schulz and Flower Power share responsibilities. The former opens and closes summer, while the latter rules the roost in the peak-summer months, this time with a new (or old?) face of the party in Roger Sanchez.
Thursdays seem to be taking a similar route, as (another new host) Purple Disco Machine is handed the vacancy at long-running Pure Pacha. His dates stretch mid-July to early-October, leaving a sizeable gap at the start of the season. As for Tuesdays, buckle in...
PDM is the new authority fronting Pure Pacha on Thursdays
We already have three custodians confirmed in Franky Rizardo, Chris Stussy and Vintage Culture - and we only have dates filled to end of June as things stand (if your head is hurting, spare some thought for the poor souls who have to load and manage tickets for all this!)
Tuesdays in 2026 could well be what Mondays were in 2024.
Everybody else gets in on the act
Pacha might have been the pioneer, but it is far from the only one getting involved in the split-season residencies in the year 2026. They are all the rage.
In fairness, O Beach has had a continuous conveyor belt of promoters looking after its Sunday session for as long as we can remember. Namecheck SIN Sundays, Boat Club, KISS and Ibiza Spray amongst other one-offs. This summer, Mondays follow suit.
Forward Motion is one of the five brands entering the fray on Mondays at O Beach
After the departure of D4 D4NCE, all of Forward Motion, ZUVA, Joel Corry, La Fiesta! and LoveJuice are in the mix on the first day of the week. Chaotic.
CAMELPHAT, who had earlier announced they were leaving Pacha after three years 'cause they only got offered a half-season residency, have moved back to Hï Ibiza, where they have, erm, a half-season residency. Summer Of Love takes place on Fridays in May and September into the start of October, either side of Dom Dolla's run.
Ushuaïa is another that has tended to divide its Sundays into two. I Love Reggaeton and Swedish House Mafia are this year's co-habitants. Across at [UNVRS], John Summit's Experts Only has a nine-week debut residency, starting 1 June to leave a conspicuous hole thereafter...
Kettama takes on Mondays in the first half of summer
Even at Amnesia, Kettama has been awarded Monday nights from 1 June to 27 July, with the rest of the programme still under wraps. This is in addition to Do Not Sleep, which undertakes its usual midweek berth in May and June until Capriati takes over.
So why are they so popular?
In some ways, they allow clubs to test the waters and see what and who gains most traction with Ibiza crowds without over-committing. This was Pacha's thought process back in 2016.
Following the exodus of brands before 2014, in-house Friday night INSANE lacked direction and only enjoyed varying success. After two years of mixed results, the split residency brought things into focus and resulted in two years of the Hot Since 82-led Labyrinth (2017 and 2018).
Popularity in 2016 gave us two summers of HS82 at Pacha in the years that followed
Equally, though, they acknowledge a fundamental truth in visitor behaviour: different periods of the season attract a different profile of tourists with different habits.
The peak-summer months are when the more mainstream parties thrive, and Western tourists come from further afield than Europe. Meanwhile, September has long been the month for more seasoned visitors with more refined tastes, musically. Line-ups get noticeably a bit more edgy.
These are the two obvious examples, but there are dozens of micro-seasons you can find within the summer at large.
What about May? The month is stag and hen group central, which makes sense. Most weddings take place between June and August, while accommodation and flights are at their most reasonable.
Or how about the phenomenon of the affectionately titled "Scouse Week" - a seven-day anomaly at the start of August where the people of North-West England decide they haven't had enough of each other for the other 51 weeks of the year and book their annual holiday en masse.
In its own way, it's kind of sweet.
Look, don't tie yourself up in knots trying to keep track of all this. We've made it easy for you. Just head to our party calendar, look up your dates and everything you need to know is presented right in front of you. Easy.
Track of the week
Franky Wah feat Kuuda | House In My Veins | Crosstown Rebels
released 13 February
One man conspicuous by his absence from Ibiza last year was Franky Wah. If he was taking time away to spend more time in the studio making tracks like this, then I can forgive him. House In My Veins is a driving, peak-time club track landing on Crosstown Rebels, alongside Kuuda.
Being that the trio are from my adopted winter hometown of Brighton, I have even further reason to make it my pick for this week.
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Finally, you can find tickets and listings on our essential party calendar.
